REMEMBERING SAL DE MARCO

Sal De Marco was born on June 20, 1948 and passed away on January 18, 2025 at the age of 76 after a three and a half year struggle with the after effects of a massive stroke.

Sal had a big personality, hearty laugh and a quick wit. He was intelligent and enjoyed being a curmudgeon. He was larger than life and twice as loud and earned the nickname, “Golden Goy”. I met Sal through Stu Stoller shortly after we entered college. I had just turned 17. We developed a strong bond and for the next 4-5 years we did most things together. Along with Stu we joined the House of Bamboo. It was the center of our activity and college life. We especially looked forward to the parties. Richie Schecter would play the guitar. Many of us would sing along. Sal and I were particularly loud voices. Among his favorite songs that Richie played were “House of the Rising Sun” which became Sal’s theme song, and “Help” . Together we loved to sing along to Motown songs like “I Can’t Help Myself” by the Four Tops and “My Girl” by the Temptations making valiant attempts at harmony and choreography.

We participated in many other activities like intramural football (Sal was a great defensive end) and we loved Follies. Who can forget Sal in drag playing a Geisha in “The Return of Dr. Fu Mac Chu”? I wish I had a picture of that one.

Our friendship extended far beyond HOB. We played war games in his bedroom in Pomonok, Queens. He loved his toy soldiers. We listened to comedy albums by Bill Cosby and memorized his routines. We listened to music albums , first by traditional Italian singers, and later on we would listen to groups like the Moody Blues, Iron Butterfly and Cream. Friday nights were HOB parties, Saturday night was Chinese food in Chinatown, mostly at Hong Fats chowing down on beef and tomato with oyster sauce on white rice drowned down by Nedick’s orange soda. We also enjoyed movies like 2001: a Space Odyssey and Yellow Submarine and anything with Monty Python. We each had our own friends but Sal and I were the constant. We supported each other with our jobs. I had an after school job and paid for our activities in the fall and winter and Sal worked at the Adventurers Inn running a merry go round in the summer and took over the financial lead in those months.

After college our lives took different paths but we remained in touch all the time he was alive. Sal moved to California where he met Tasia. They married and had been together for 50 years until he passed away. He was a waiter, a prison guard, joined the Army (I know, ironic), became interested in counseling and eventually returned to school to complete a Bachelors and then a Masters degree. He was an gifted therapist specializing in substance abuse - something he had quite a bit of experience with.

Sal raised a beautiful family with children born in many of the places he was stationed at around the country and in Europe. He loved mythology (especially Lord of the Rings) , the scriptures and history and it showed in the names of his children: Galadriel (Ladi), Damien, Lorien (Lolo), Adam and Ajalon (AJ). They are happy and successful and a wonderful legacy to Sal and Tasia.

Oh how he loved his family. He was intensely loyal - someone I could always count on. Even though there were long periods in between contacts, we could always pick up where we left off and I guess that says a lot about how strong the bond was.

For a large part of my life, he was my best friend and was a big part of the greatest blessings I have received in this life. His interest in philosophy and religion led him to become a man of faith. Through him I was introduced to my faith and from my faith came a wonderful wife, 3 children and 9 grandchildren.

We were and remain forever friends. At some point, we’ll catch up on the other side, tell stories and have a good laugh. Till then, dear friend, “God be with you till we meet again”.

Bob DeRosa